Racey, comfy, disc brakes, custom — there's something for everyone

This Bianchi beauty was our favorite from an intriguing crop of 2016 road bikes.

The prevailing trend in road bikes? Choice. There is literally something for everyone in the latest crop of new roadsters hitting bike shop floors (and internet showrooms) right now. Frame geometry options range from slammed and racey to upright and comfy. Braking comes courtesy of disc brakes, traditional brakes, and direct mount traditional brakes. Shifting is mechanical, electronic, or even electronic and wireless. Paint jobs are stock, custom or somewhere in between. Brand heritage is old and storied or new and still being defined. Most frames are carbon fiber, but alloy, steel and Ti are still holding strong. And of course price runs the full gamut from budget friendly to budget breaking. Here in no particular order are 10 of the most intriguing bikes for 2016.

Orbea Orca Custom

The Orbea Orca race machine carries over from 2015, but the Spanish bike maker is giving riders the chance to make it their own by adding it to the MyO custom program. Start by choosing from one of eight Orca frame models, add in your favorite components, pick from one of 12 paint colors, and then put your name on the top tube. Once you’re done sorting all that out (Orbea claims 1.5 million possible combinations) your new bike will arrive in about a month. Additional charge: Nada. Just pick the shop you want it shipped to. | More info: www.orbea.com/ | Why we are intrigued: Custom is cool. Custom for free is even better.

Masi Evoluzione

Just the sight of this bike is enough to stop you in a track stand. But it’s speed that the Masi Evoluzione is built for. The 2016 version boasts beefed up chainstays and a BB86 bottom bracket for better power transfer, but smaller top and seatstay tubes for added compliance. The bike is built using TeXtreme carbon fiber, which is composite code for light, strong and expensive. Claimed frame weight for a size 56cm is 830 grams. A Shimano Dura Ace build with Ritchie carbon cockpit and Mercury carbon clinchers runs $5980. Other highlights include direct mount brakes that help the bike accommodate up to 28c tires. | More info: www.masibikes.com | Why we are intrigued: That paint job… No blending into the crowd on this bike.

Look 765

In the U.S. Look has a reputation for making expensive race bikes, but the new 765 is neither. This endurance oriented new-for-2016 offering is constructed using something the French company calls CarboFlax technology, which is a mash-up of carbon fiber and natural linen fibers that’s designed to filter road chatter. Claimed frame weight is a modest 1100 grams, cable routing is internal, and geometry is generally more laid back than Look’s typical Tour de France-worthy steeds. The top model offered in the U.S. comes with Shimano Ultegra Di2 and runs $4200. | More info: www.lookcycle.com | Why we are intrigued: A bike made in part with linen fiber that increases comfort? We gotta try that.

Bianchi Specialissima

As the name indicates this is no ordinary Bianchi. It’s special, very special. This gorgeous racer from the Italian bike maker has a claimed frame weight of 780 grams, and Bianchi says its new Countervail integrated vibration canceling composite technology eliminates the choppy road feel common in many ultra-lightweight bikes. Not shockingly, all this Italian goodness will cost you: $5,000 for the frame or $14,000 for the pictured Campy Super Record spec’d super bike. | More info: www.bianchi.com | Why we are intrigued: Who wouldn’t want to see what a $14,000 ride feels like?

BMC granfondo GF01 Disc

Not only do we love the look of the new coffee-colored BMC granfondo GF01 Disc, but it delivers what we want in terms of spec and design (disc brakes, geometry for the every man). And it can handle a variety of terrain, from butter smooth tarmac to rowdy back-road dirt. The $6000 price tag for Shimano Ultegra Di2 is a little steep. But if it performs the way we think it will, that’s a bridge we’d ride across. | More info: www.bmc-switzerland.com | Why we are intrigued: Disc brakes and do-it-all capability — yes, please.

Continue to page 2 for more of next year’s most intriguing road bikes »

An avid cyclist, Jason Sumner has been writing about two-wheeled pursuits of all kinds since 1999. He’s covered the Tour de France, the Olympic Games, and dozens of other international cycling events. He also likes to throw himself into the fray, penning first-person accounts of cycling adventures all over the globe. Sumner, who joined the RoadBikeReview.com / Mtbr.com staff in 2013, has also done extensive gear testing and is the author of the cycling guide book "75 Classic Rides: Colorado." When not writing or riding, the native Coloradoan can be found enjoying time with his wife Lisa and daughter Cora.

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One thing that makes the Bianchi Specialissima more intruiging, is the fact that the French magazine “Acheteur Cycliste”, recently picked it as the dream bike of them all. It beat the Colnago V1-r and the artisanal Rolo (Swedish ultra high-end construction) as the bike that “had it all”.

It is also the first Bianchi, in who knows how long, that gets sold without the clients ever having seen one in real life.

My local LBS has sold 4 of them already, to people that are switching over from Pinarello F8’s, Colnago C60’s and other similar super bikes.